ABSTRACT
L2 learning can be described broadly as a process in which many changes take place in L2 learners cognition as they try to create new representations for the L2 grammar, internalize such data, and restructure if necessary, all the while developing their ability to comprehend and produce the L2, in real time. It takes place in a setting in which the L2 is either viewed as a foreign language or a second language. At the same time, there were some important theoretical underpinnings that began to focus more closely on learners' internal processes in relation to the role of awareness. The 90s began with Schmidt's seminal article on his noticing hypothesis that brought into the SLA field a theoretical postulation that the roles of focal attention and awareness were isomorphic and crucial in any L2 development. Currently, the studies are divided in their support or lack of regarding the role of implicit learning in L2 development.
